You know Madilyn Bailey from her massively popular covers on YouTube, and now she’s finding herself as an original artist, too. We talk about her new single ‘Tetris’ here!
“‘Tetris’ is a song that I wrote about making a lot of wrong moves in relationships,” Madilyn Bailey tells us of her latest original track. But the upbeat song is actually rather optimistic, when it comes down to it. She explains it all below!
What’s the story behind “Tetris?”
The game Tetris is a lot like relationships — it’s easy to make wrong moves and have the relationship end. But there’s also that moment in Tetris when all of the pieces are fitting into place perfectly! When you find a person that feels like that in your life, it’s easy and totally makes sense.
You’ve done original songs before, but this one feels like a big release. Do you feel like this is the start of a new era for you?
The process of finding yourself as an artist takes a long time. I’ve released original songs before and they’ve been building towards me knowing who I am. But I feel like this last year and a half, I’ve started to embrace the things that make me different as an artist, what makes my voice different, what makes my writing style different. I began walking into sessions and saying, “This is what I want to write today.” “Tetris” is a song that was conceptualized by me from start to finish and has my vocal stylings and melodic instincts. I can take full ownership of it and say it’s my baby.
What can you tell us about the music video?
It’s filmed! It looks amazing and I’m really excited about it. It’s me and a guy…not [my husband] Jimmy, because he’s not an actor. [Laughs] But we go through different scenarios in life that make sense and work together. And there’s a choreographed dance piece in the middle!
Who or what inspires your writing?
Well, I’m married, so I have the best muse. I’ve had a lot of “wrong” relationships. They weren’t bad, they just didn’t make sense. Then when I met Jimmy, I was like, “Oh, this is what a real relationship should be like.”
Are you working on an album?
I’ll be focusing on original singles this year, which is really cool. I understand the importance of an album and eventually, there will be one, but I don’t feel the pressure to say, “I’m writing for an album.” And that’s what I’m used to with YouTube — recording a song and posting it three days later. With streaming, people want more music more frequently. Now, I can say, “Let’s record it and let’s release it!”
You’re also known for your unique covers of hit songs. How do you decide which ones to take on?
Cover songs are similar to writing, too. I have to connect with them. I start with the lyrics; when I started playing “Titanium” on the piano, for example, I realized it’s a tragic love song, and you’d never know by the David Guetta beats and stuff! But it’s sad. So that’s what I gravitate towards.
Have you ever gotten a pat on the back for one of your covers?
When I was in France doing promo for “Titanium” when it was a single over there, they played it for David Guetta on television, and he was like, “I love this version!” And he followed me right after. That was pretty cool.
Your cover of “Despacito” was also skated to at the Olympics, which is awesome.
I know! I was like, “Mom, I made it to the Olympics.” It was the coolest thing ever. I think they picked a good one. [Laughs]
Will you be doing any live dates or a tour in 2018?
I have put a full band together, and we played the first show in Paris earlier in February. It was pretty incredible and we definitely plan on doing more!
Now for the random ones. Which band would you drop everything to join if you were asked?
If I could join Paramore for a show, I don’t know what I’d do!
Have you had a memorable gesture from a fan recently?
I have a longtime fan named Elsa. She runs one of my fanpages in France and she was able to come to the show! She sold merch for me and [we met up.] She’s been such a dedicated person over the years and is just so cool.
What’s the wildest DM you’ve ever received?
I don’t remember what his name was, but this was from years ago — basically, he was like, “You’re so cute. I want to put you in a cage and feed you miniature marshmallows.” It was a very specific fantasy. Like, what?!
What’s something you’ve been passionate lately outside of your work?
Video games! I’m really into Fortnite. I know I’m late to the game. But better late than never, right?
How are you at Tetris?
I actually only recently started playing it again! But I’m re-addicted.
Anything else in the pipeline?
The video is coming! There will also be an acoustic version of “Tetris,” so keep a look out.
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